Being ready for your hobbies

Two of the things on my life list are:

1. take a photography class
2. buy a decent camera

I decided that while I wait for the next class early next year, I'll keep focused by practising.


I read on Superhero Journal where Andrea told someone to take at least 10 pictures a day.


So that's what I'm doing. It helps that I blog because I always take pictures of food and any organising I do. I'm going to start keeping my camera with me full-time so that when moments like these present themselves, I am ready.




I also like the latest bead shots I took. I've been taking really bad close-up photos lately but somehow these just worked and I'm 90% happy with them :)

How do you create time for your hobbies/ passions?

Fall, Y'all blog giveaway - self-confidence handbook

This giveaway is now closed!

I'm giving away one of my products specially geared for women, the self-confidence handbook.

This is a 16-page downloadable handbook working through self-esteem, self-confidence, assertiveness and setting healthy boundaries.

I guarantee that by the end of working through all the exercise, you'll feel more confidence and will be able to say no and not feel guilty!

It retails for just R70.00 (US$10) in my store.

Here are my rules

1. If you want to win a copy, you have to tell me what your biggest challenge is with living your dreams.




2. I am not going to search around your blog to find an email address because I don't have time so please leave your email in your comment. Or go check the box in your blogger profile to show your email.
3. The competition closes on Friday 2nd Nov, 12pm South African time.
4. I will post the winner next Monday because I am on holiday.

Have fun and all the best.

Have a look at other products for women here.

The Springboks' Parade - rained out!

Our rugby team is/ was on a 4-day ticker tape parade around the country. They passed our building for a few seconds on Friday afternoon in the pouring rain.

Staff waiting outside in the rain (clearly ardent rugby supporters)

See how heavy it was raining. Either that, or a very blurry shot :)
seconds later...
and they were just a blur in the distance

I need your help!

I'm putting together a Research & Development team and I'm looking for about 10 people who fulfill these requirements:

Essential
1. honest and people of integrity
2. can give good, constructive feedback
3. communicate well (either written or verbal)
4. a keen interest in goal-setting, time management, organising and success
5. someone who reads other people's stuff and buys e-products now and again
6. Must click with me. This sounds very airy-fairy but if we're going to be working together, then we need to be like-minded, right?

Optional, but nice-to-have
1. On my mailing list at http://takechargesolutions.org
2. Read my blogs regularly
3. Previous buyer of one of my products
4. Previous coaching/ organising client, or workshop attendee

What is required
1. If I select you to be on my team, I will ask you to subscribe to my mailing list because I need you to get THE WHOLE ME and that includes my entire marketing message.
2. I will also ask you to read my blogs (this one and the other one ---->>) on a weekly basis.
3. I need you to give me written feedback on my products, offerings and such. So if you write well, then that's a bonus!

What's in it for you
1. A first look at any new products! For free!!!
2. An opportunity to learn from me.
3. You get an inside look at how I do things.
4. 10% discount off all products, coaching, organising, etc, effective immediately.
5. Access to a new network of like-minded people

How it all works
1. Email me and tell me why you're interested.
2. I'll send you a quick list of questions
3. Depending on your answers in 2 above, we'll have a quick chat on Skype or in my chat room
4. If you're selected, I'll give you access to a special members-only blog I've already set up and we can get cracking!

I'm very excited and looking forward to working with some of you!

Weekend cooking - Barb's pumpkin cookies

I'm so glad Barb put a list of all her recipes in the sidebar. I love anything pumpkin (of course, with cinnamon) so I decided to try this one out.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Microwave butter for thirty seconds to melt.
In a large bowl with a spoon mix together pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, beaten egg, milk and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Add to pumpkin mixture and mix by hand until smooth.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. I love that they're drop cookies!!!
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, just until bottoms are slightly brown.

Tip #1: do not overbake.
Tip #2: these cookies will seem dry when you first bake them. Here's the secret. After they've completely cooled, store them in an airtight plastic container at room temperature overnight. (I use ziplock plastic storage containers.) You'll be amazed how moist they are the next day. And after that it's fine to put them in your cookie jar. They'll stay moist.

Mine weren't dry at all and I baked them for 10 minutes in my too-hot oven.

Both Dion and I LOVED these - it gets 10 out of 10 from me!

Of the 30 the recipe yielded, there are only 4 left! I actually intended to take some to work but I'll have to make another batch next weekend.

Ons bloed is groen!

For the non-South Africans, that means

WE WON THE RUGBY WORLD CUP.

I'm actually not into rugby AT ALL but I do love the team spirit that any sporting event generates.

On Friday basically the whole of SA wore green and gold (or just green) and there was such a buzz everywhere. It really was wonderful.

Even I did my part with a green T-shirt and of course a green bag and gorgeous green wallet :)

Our team did us proud tonight - even as I'm typing this, I can hear vuvuzelas all around, car hooters and firecrackers going off in the neighbourhood.

And now, I'm off to bed!

Do you have a life list?

I don't think I've ever had such a Google Reader build-up as I've had over the last week and a bit. When I log in, it displays one or two blogs and then hangs FOREVER with subsequent ones. As a result, I was up to 79 unread blogs - crazy!

Is anybody else experiencing the same problem?

Anyway, I was reading Jen Lemen's blog where she mentioned her life list.

I was re-inspired! I say that because ever since I started reading cool people I know, doing a life list has been on my other list of Things to do one day. I have a 15 things to do in my lifetime list so 100 things seemed a bit overwhelming. You know???

Anyway, I went over to read Jen Lemen's wonderful list and that was all the impetus I needed to start my own one. I have 33 items so far. As I think of things I'm adding them.

Some of the items on my list are:
Have more radio interviews
Appear on TV as an organising and time management expert
Compete in a reality show like The Apprentice
Get rid of all the pigmentation on my face – yuck
Shop at Tescos in London in memory of Ps Mel
Meet at least 10 blog friends – Ali already done.
Take a month-long holiday at the beach

Do you have a life list?

I read on the Cool People blog that once she posted her list, people started appearing in her life to help her get things crossed off. Isn't that great?

It takes some courage to make things happen - you have to reach out. I emailed Ali and through email, we became friends and made a plan to get together. That was my first blog meeting on 24 Dec 2006 and it is unfortunately still the only one!

So if you're in Cape Town and you read my blog, let's meet for a cup of coffee or something when I'm down there in November.

Take action today so you can cross some things off your list (after you make it, of course).

If you want to share some items on your list (whether actual or in your head), please share in the comments.

Weekend cooking - wholewheat spinach & vegetable pizza

This recipe has been on my Recipes to Try list for a couple of months so I decided to buy a big bag of spinach (I actually prefer swiss chard) and tackle a couple of recipes, all containing spinach :)

As I was making this, some of the quantities seemed way too much, so I changed them and these are the quantities I used.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 100 g spinach, finely chopped
• 3 ml sugar
• 5 g instant dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Topping

• 125 ml sweet chilli sauce (oooh, I think this makes the pizza special)
• 2 weigh-less viennas, chopped (the recipe calls for 250 g bacon but I didn't feel like buying bacon)
• 140g pumpkin, cooked (I sliced the pumpkin and microwaved it with about a tablespoon of water for 1 minute)
• 1/2 onion, chopped (100g)
• 60g mushrooms
• cheese

The recipe called for a whole onion and 400g butternut - that's a LOT of veg, even for me - so I reduced quantities.

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt, chopped spinach. Add the sugar, instant yeast and mix.
2. Add the sunflour oil and 1 cup luke-warm water to form a soft dough.
3. Knead for 10 minutes (I didn't bother, I just mixed and it still came out beautifully).
4. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until double in size.
5. Roll the dough into a large disc about 1 cm thick.
6. I used Glad baking paper (how did I ever survive without this?!!!) to roll the dough out on and then lifted the whole thing and placed on my pizza tray. You don't even need Spray and Cook - imagine that?!
7. Spread the sweet chilli sauce liberally with a basting brush.
8. Add the onion, mushrooms, pumpkin and viennas or bacon, and top with cheese (and I added a sprinkling of Italian herbs (my new favourite spice)
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (350) for 15 to 20 minutes.
10. Enjoy - this is absolutely delicious and is going to be a keeper around here!

Do you also change recipes around and do your "own thing"? Or do you like to follow the recipe exactly? What do you think it says about you?

Get your gifts now

I have only 16 bookmarks left from the latest batch! Sales are booming!

I DO have some beads left from this batch, so check with me if you see a SOLD notice next to some of them because I may be able to do them for you.

International customers - you get your orders in about a week and a half

South African customers - you get your orders in about 4 days. When I post on Monday, they are delivered on Friday.

What goals and cooking have in common

If you’re on my mailing list, you’ll know that I’ve signed up for the 100-day Finish Strong Goals Challenge until the end of this year.

So I’m really into goals at the moment. Well, more so than I usually am :-)

I heard a great example linking goals and cooking.

When you follow a recipe, you have
1. specific ingredients (flour, eggs, milk, etc)
2. a sequence of events (first cream butter and sugar, then add flour)
3. a time line (bake for 25 minutes)

You know if you follow those directions perfectly, you are guaranteed success.

Goals are exactly the same.

If you add all the correct ingredients (setting SMART goals, writing it down, etc), follow the correct sequence of events (set the goals before making the plan) and set a deadline (by 31 Dec), you are guaranteed success.

When I talk on goals and goal-setting, I like to say, “the principles always work if you work the principles”.

And that’s exactly right!

What kind of success have you had with goal-getting? And which goals would you really like to achieve before the end of 2007?

Want me to speak to your group?

Goals
I mentioned last week (and for those of you who receive my weekly tips via email, in those emails too) that I signed up for the Goals Guy's 100-day Finish Strong Challenge and I am determined to reach ALL my goals this year (including the *cough* weight loss *cough* one).

As is usual with goal-setting (because I've been doing this for the last hundred or so years), you do really well with some and not so well with others. I've exceeded my expectations on a lot of them but I haven't spoken to as many groups as I intended.

Speaking
If you're in Johannesburg, please email me so I can come talk to your group. I would love to talk on How to manage your time and take back your life but if that topic doesn't suit you, I have many other topics to choose from.

I will also be in Cape Town from 1 - 4 November (can't wait!!!) so grab me quickly for that time too, and I will probably be in Port Elizabeth for a week around/ near Christmas. A very resourceful reader already emailed me to do a one-on-one session for her, but with the back and forth email negotiations, we're thinking of putting together a workshop :)

Have you read about the Sunshine Organiser?

P.S. I'm going to post more on goals tomorrow!

Beaded bookmarks - update

I've sold 9 beaded bookmarks to date - woohoo.

Get your Christmas gifts now at the store.

Remember shipping and handling is included in the price of R40. I've heard from international customers that they get them within 5 - 8 working days.

Cinnamon-almond mocha mix

I'm almost embarrassed to say this but I promised Coach Jenny MONTHS ago that I'd post this recipe. So much for organised! *blush*

Anyway, here goes...

Ingredients
1 cup coffee creamer
1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (I use normal sugar)
1/2 cup instant coffee granules (I use decaf)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp almond extract (I used vanilla - not keen on almond)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Measure all ingredients into a ziploc bag, seal and shake to combine.

To use, mix 2 tablespoons into a mug of hot water and enjoy!!!!

For gifts, fill a glass jar with the mix, attach a pretty label with directions for use.

You can give this to a couple in a basket with two mugs, or to a family with a plate of biscuits (cookies), etc, etc.

Weekend cooking - pumpkin spiced muffins

I know I said I wouldn't bake muffins for awhile but I had a lot of pumpkin and it's been cold here which is perfect baking weather!

I found the link to this recipe on a blog somewhere, added it to my Blog Recipes to Try list which is in my Household Organising File. The original comes from http://www.freequickrecipes.com/.

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter or margerine
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda (bicarb)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
2. In a large bowl, cream butter with brown sugar
3. Beat in eggs, then pumpkin and milk
4. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, spices, salt and baking soda (bicarb)
5. Add to the creamed mixture
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes

And this is the beautiful and tasty result....it smells absolutely delicious when it's baking

What do you do when you have to use up something in your kitchen?

Works for me Wednesday - best Christmas gift

It's backwards day at Shannon's blog.

Today, I get to ask you a question:

What are your best Christmas gifts to give and to get?